Former Virginia Tech Student Pleads Guilty To Decapitating Classmate

December 21, 2009

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By Kavitha Cardoza

A former Virginia Tech student accused of killing another student in a campus eatery has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.

Haiyang Zhu entered his plea Monday morning during a hearing in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Zhu was charged with the murder of Xin Yang, who was attacked and decapitated as the pair had coffee together last January.

During Monday's hearing, Zhu did not say why he killed the woman. Commonwealth's attorney Brad Finch said the killing occurred after the woman rejected Zhu's romantic overtures.

Zhu is expected to be sentenced on April 1. He faces up to life in prison.

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